Bangladesh Climb to All-Time High No. 6 in ICC Test Rankings

Bangladesh have climbed to No. 6 in the ICC Men's Test team rankings, their highest-ever position, despite losing the second Test to Australia by an innings and 51 runs in Mackay. The Tigers jumped three places, moving past West Indies, Pakistan and Sri Lanka on the back of their historic first-ever Test win in Australia, achieved in the series-opening Darwin Test.

Bangladesh now sit on 78 rating points from 24 matches, marking the first time the side has ever risen above the No. 9 spot in the format's history. Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto called it a "huge achievement" after the defeat in Mackay, while acknowledging the side's own inconsistency, noting it would have been better if they had played better cricket in the Test itself. He also pointed to the challenges of touring Australia so infrequently, with most of the squad never having previously played in the conditions.

The wider table remains topped by Australia, unaffected by their earlier Darwin defeat, with 126 rating points from 27 matches. Bangladesh's rise means Sri Lanka (76 points) and Pakistan (75 points) have both been overtaken, while West Indies also slip below the Tigers in the standings.

The result also has implications in the World Test Championship 2025-2027 standings, where Bangladesh remain fourth, one place above India, having recorded three wins, two losses and a draw from six matches in the cycle. The Darwin win proved decisive for both metrics, with the Mackay defeat doing little to dent the historic rankings rise that followed it.